A door assembly, such as a storm door, often involves the use of what is commonly referred to as a “z-bar.” The z-bars are typically formed to mount the door assembly to the jambs or exterior trim of the entry door. Normally there are two z-bars in such an installation: a hinge-side z-bar and a latch-side z-bar. There may also be a z-bar extending over the top of the door that serves as or facilitates a drip cap. The hinge-side z-bar is so named because it accommodates hinges for pivotal mounting of the door. The latch-side z-bar is so named because it is located adjacent the latch side of the door and may serve as part of a system to latch the door in a closed position.
Some manufacturers specify a given door assembly to cover a range of door openings. The door is typically equipped with a door expander or spacer that enables adjustment of the length of the door relative to the opening, as well as the adjustment of the orientation of the lower edge of the door to accommodate door sills and/or door casings that may not be true.
It is often desired that the z-bars extend over the entire length of the storm door or entry door jambs for reasons of aesthetics, connectivity and energy conservation. Accordingly, the z-bars are typically sized to operatively match a maximum or fully expanded length of the door.
However, the height of door openings will often vary and will often be less than the full length of traditional z-bars, requiring the installer to trim the ends of the z-bars off. Conventional methods and techniques for trimming z-bars are innately inconvenient and time consuming. In addition, many casings feature a sill having an inclined upper surface that sheds water. The trimmed ends of these traditional z-bars are typically cut to accommodate the incline. A trimming cut that either leaves the z-bar too short or at an improper angle relative to the incline is generally detrimental to the aesthetic and energy conservation qualities of the assembly, and increases the installation time of the door assembly.
Some manufacturers supply z-bars that are intentionally shorter than the minimum length of the door so that z-bar does not have to be cut to fit the height of the door frame during installation. Such an approach is disclosed in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2006/0150524 to Kibbel et al. While this approach negates the need for cutting the z-bar to length, it does not address the aforementioned detriments to aesthetics and energy conservation.
A z-bar assembly that avoids the problems that can result from shortened z-bars, and augments a more efficient installation procedure would be welcome.